The Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment at Connecticut College brings together faculty fellows, staff, and students for joint investigation of environmental problems. Named in honor of Richard Goodwin and William Niering, the Center builds on strong environmental traditions at Connecticut College. In addition to their research in botany and ecology, Goodwin and Niering were deeply involved in land conservation. Mindful of this legacy, the Goodwin-Niering Center today maintains close connections with the Avalonia Land Conservancy, where our students do service learning projects.

Our selective Certificate Program in Environmental Sustainability is for students from any major who are seeking a rigorous, academically challenging experience that combines an independent environmental research project with a relevant internship. One distinctive feature of our Center is that sophomores, juniors, and seniors all take the 2-credit certificate seminar together. This creates a close-knit community of student researchers, where students learn from each other how to integrate their research, internships, and coursework, and then pass that experience on to the incoming sophomores.